Quality aspects of Greek fruit and vegetables destined for local consumption and export

摘要

Fruit and vegetable quality within the European Union is assessed on the basis of the E.U. common quality standards. Greek horticultural produce is frequently of low quality due to the presence of blemishes and mechanical damage, inefficient grading, poor packing and presentation. On the domestic market, there is insufficient incentive for producers to improve the quality of their produce. However, apart from quality considerations, fruit and vegetable exports are hampered by the excessively high costs of packaging and transport. The present paper reviews the sources of low quality in Greek produce and ways in which this may be reduced. An alternative approach to horticultural exports is proposed in which attention is paid not only to product appearance but also to flavour and composition.